Stop and Stare
by E. Limberg
Summary: Uses song by One Republic. Stella becomes emotionally involved in a case, leading her to become the prime suspect when her suspect turns up dead in alley with evidence of Stella there. Can Mac figure out who really killed her and save Stella from jail?


**Stop and Stare**

"_This town is colder now_

_I think it's sick of us_

_It's time to make our move_

_I'm shaking off the rust_

_I've got my heart set on anywhere but here_

_I'm staring down myself_

_Counting up the years"_

Mac frowns, pausing outside the door to the trace lab. He opens the door, "What are you still doing here?"

"Looking through the evidence again," Stella doesn't even glance up from her microscope.

"You need to go home and get some rest, Stel." She makes no move to follow his directions. He slowly comes up behind her and pulls her chair out. "This isn't doing you a bit of good. Get at least six hours of sleep and eat some food. Then you can come back and look at this stuff again with fresh eyes."

"I know it was her, Mac. I just… can't prove it yet," she says, exasperated. She stands and goes over to the table to look through her pictures of the crime scene.

"This isn't healthy."

"I know it isn't. She was just an innocent girl; how could anyone harm her, let alone her own mother?"

"You don't know for sure that she did it. The evidence doesn't have an answer for you yet," he pulls the pictures from her and looks at her sternly. "Besides, I was talking about you. Even you need to eat and sleep, Stella. You haven't been home in two days."

"Fine," she pulls her lab coat off. "Can I have those back so I can pack this stuff up?"

"Don't get caught up in this case. You may think it is the mother, but if the evidence points elsewhere, follow that lead," he holds the pictures out for her to take, the top one of the lifeless body of a young girl in a dumpster. "Get the person who did this."

**MT SB**

"What have we got?" Mac asks Flack as he steps under the crime scene tape.

"Woman was shot in this alley, found by the two over there," he points to a couple standing with another officer. "The woman had an ID in her purse; she was the mother of Stella's victim found in the dumpster."

"You called her yet?"

"Stel? No. Doesn't really seem like the cases are connected except that the victims were related."

"Call her and tell her the news. Maybe her case is now closed if the mother killed the girl like she thinks."

"_Steady hands just take the wheel_

_And every glance is killing me_

_Time to make one last appeal_

_For the life I lead"_

"Mac, I… I ran the blood you found at the scene. It… got a match CODIS, but… it's not good," Adam stammers nervously.

"Why isn't a match good?"

Adam hands over the report to answer him.

"Are you sure?" Mac asks.

"I ran it again. Same result."

"Why would her blood have been there?" The lab tech shrugs. "Thanks, Adam." Mac continues down the hallway in search of his partner. He finds her finishing up a report in her office.

She looks up when he enters. "Hey, Mac. What do you need?"

He tosses the report from Adam on her desk, "What were you doing in that alley?"

Stella frowns and looks down at the file. "You think I killed her?"

"Sid said the bullet was removed, something you'd know to do if you were killed someone and didn't want to be caught. He guessed that the caliber of the gun was consistent with those issued by the police department."

"I didn't kill her, Mac. Maybe I wanted to after what she did to her daughter, but I didn't do it. The evidence wasn't leading to her or anyone else."

"I need your weapon."

"For what?"

"To see if it has been fired recently and compare the striations to the marks found in the bone the bullet was lodged in."

"Mac, it's been two days since your victim was found. I've used my gun since then. I practiced shooting yesterday after work because I was frustrated with the lack of evidence in that little girl's death."

He holds his hand out, "Just hand it over, Stella."

She sighs and takes it out of the holster on her side. "If the bullet was removed from the bone, the striations will be messed up."

"We will also be getting a warrant to search your apartment for bloodied clothing and the bullet."

"Like I would have kept that stuff if I killed her. Don't you think I've been doing this job long enough to know how to get away with a murder?"

Mac shrugs, "Everyone gets careless. Your blood was at the scene after all."

"_Stop and stare_

_I think I'm moving but I go nowhere_

_Yeah, I know that everyone gets scared_

_But I've become what I can't be_

_Stop and stare_

_You start to wonder why you're here, not there_

_And you'd give anything to get what's fair_

_But fair ain't what you really need_

_Oh, can you see what I see"_

"Nothing," Hawkes says. "But did you really expect to find anything?"

"With Stella, I really don't know what to think."

"Mac, you don't think she really did it, do you?"

"The only evidence we have of someone else in that alley points to her. And she had motive… That little girl's death really got to her."

Sheldon looks at his boss, "Stella is your partner, Mac. She's your _best friend_. Do you honestly think she would kill anyone unless she absolutely had to for her safety or someone else's?"

He sighs, "I guess not."

"Let's go back to the lab and look at everything again."

"Okay," Mac looks around her living room one last time before heading out.

**MT SB**

Sinclair enters Mac's office, "I heard that one of your detective's blood was found at a crime scene. Have you arrested her yet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't think Stella killed her."

"Mac, she took revenge on that woman because she felt that she killed her daughter; she had no evidence to support her and no reason to kill her."

"Sir, I know Stella. She wouldn't kill anyone without good reason."

"Then how do you explain her blood at the scene?"

"I don't know why it was there," Mac admits. "But there are other people that have access to her blood."

"Someone drew her blood without her knowing?" he asks skeptically.

"She had blood drawn to test for HIV. She donates blood to the Red Cross when they do their blood drives. I'm just saying that someone else could have planted her blood."

"Mac, don't give her special privileges just because you are sleeping with her. Arrest her or I will do it for you. And it won't be quietly. I'm sure the media would love this story," Sinclair leaves.

Mac stares after him. Why did everyone think he and Stella were together? He closes his eyes to think for a moment. A quiet knock on his door breaks his thoughts.

Stella enters timidly, "Let me guess: he wants me arrested." He nods slowly. She holds her hands out to him. "Go ahead and do it, Mac. I know you'll find a way to prove I'm innocent."

"_They're trying to come back_

_All my senses push_

_Untie the weight bags_

_I never thought I could"_

"How are you doing?" Mac asks quietly, his heart breaking at the sight of her behind bars.

"Okay. I don't think I've been this bored since I was in the orphanage."

He forces himself to smile. "I brought Sheldon here to examine you for any cuts or scrapes you… might have gotten that night. So… I'll wait over there…"

Ten minutes later Sheldon approaches him. "No sign of injury in which she could have lost blood."

"Thanks," he walks back over to her cell. "Stel, promise me that you didn't kill this woman."

"I didn't, Mac. I swear."

"Do you have any idea who would want to frame you? Or who had access to your blood?"

"I bet there are lots of people that want revenge on me for putting them in prison. But… they took a lot of blood when they did the HIV test. That was two years ago though… And I donated blood a couple weeks ago… and in almost every other drive they've had. I haven't injured myself recently… I really don't know how they got it, Mac."

"It's okay, Stella. We'll find whoever did this," he puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her close to him. "You never found any leads in the girl's death, did you?"

She shakes her head. "You have an idea?"

"I think that you may be right. I think she killed her daughter and someone took revenge on her."

"I've gone through everything in that case three times. I don't know how to probe she did it," Stella sighs.

"Do you know anything about the girl's father?" he looks over at her.

"He died… I can't remember what happened though. Car accident maybe."

"Was the mom dating anyone?"

"Isn't that your case?" she frowns at him. "Yeah, I think she had been seeing some guy for a few months. Why?"

"Was he there when you told her about her daughter?"

"No, he was at work."

"Was he attached to the girl?"

"I… I think she said that they got along okay. He spent a lot of time with her."

"We have a motive."

"_Steady feet, don't fail me now_

_Going to run till you can't walk_

_Something pulls my focus out_

_And I'm standing down"_

"Your girlfriend had a daughter?" Mac asks.

"Yes."

"What happened to her?" The man remains silent. "Tell us what happened, or I'll have you arrested for aiding in murder."

"She called me one night last week. Said she needed me to come over right away. She sounded panicked, like she was frightened. I figured her mom had left her home alone while she went to work so I went over to check on her. She and I did a lot together; her mom didn't really like us being that close but… I thought that she was too young to be alone. I watched her a lot when her mom was gone."

"So what happened when you got there?"

"When I got there, she was lying at the bottom of the stairs like she had fallen down them. There were red marks around her neck like she was strangled. I went over to her to see if I could help her, but there was no pulse. She was already dead."

"Was her mother there?"

"Yeah. I heard a noise in the kitchen and went to see what it was. She was in there crying. She seemed started to see me. I thought it was kind of odd because I only live ten minutes away. If she was at work, there was no way she would have been home before I got there. And she never leaves Abbey alone except when she's at work."

Mac thinks about this for a few minutes. "Go on. What did you two do after that?"

"She refused to call 911. She told me she didn't want to deal with the police and finding out who did this; she just wanted to forget it and move on. So I helped her put the body in her car. After that, I'm not sure what she did with her; she wanted to get rid of the body herself. So… I left."

"Why wouldn't she have wanted to know who killed her daughter?"

"The only thing I can think of is that she killed her. The marks on her neck looked like hands. Maybe she strangled her and placed her there so I'd think she was attacked by someone else while her mom was gone."

"You confronted her, didn't you? And you killed her," Mac looks at him. "Why'd you from my detective?"

"I saw her card in her apartment. I recognized the name from a blood donation a few weeks ago."

"_Stop and stare_

_I think I'm moving but I go nowhere_

_Yeah I know that everyone gets scared_

_But I've become what I can't be_

_Stop and stare_

_You start to wonder why you're here not there_

_And you'd give anything to get what's fair_

_But fair ain't what you really need_

_Oh, you don't need"_

Mac waits as the guard unlocks the door. Stella slowly walks out of the cell. "You're officially cleared. I guess the mother got what she deserved."

"I can't understand why anyone would kill someone."

"So what do you want to do first now that you're free?"

"Take a nice, long bath."

"Okay. I was going to take you out for dinner, but if you want to go home, I'll take you," he looks a little disappointed.

"How about you drive me to the lab? I'll take a shower there; I'm sure you can find something to do for fifteen minutes. And then we can go out," she places a hand on his shoulder.

"Deal."

"But no place fancy; all I have in my locker is a pair of jeans."

**MT SB**

"So he said his girlfriend admitted to killing her daughter?" Stella reaches across the table to steal one of his fries.

"Yes. And we don't have any evidence to support or contradict that so… I guess your case is closed."

"Why did he frame me?"

"He saw your card in the mother's apartment and remembered you from the blood donation; he's a nurse at the hospital and helped draw blood for the Red Cross."

She frowns, "Why didn't he call the police when he knew she was dead? Why did he let her put the body in a dumpster?"

"I don't know, Stel," he pushes his plate towards her so she could eat the rest of his fries. "Didn't they feed you in prison?"

"It was the worst food I've ever tasted. And considering I grew up with foster parents who couldn't have cared less about what our food tasted like, that's saying a lot. So… I barely ate anything."

"I didn't want to put you in there, Stella. Sinclair said he'd go public with the story if I didn't arrest you."

"It's okay, Mac. I knew you'd prove I was innocent."

"I'm sorry for doubting your innocence. You just get so passionate about some cases that sometimes I think you could murder someone… plus your blood was there so… I just assumed that this case made you snap."

"It's okay," she repeats, reaching out to touch his hand. "There were a few times when I thought you really had pushed Dobson off that roof."

He remains silently, knowing how it feels to have someone you care about doubt you.

"Are you done?" she asks. He nods. "Can you drive me home?"

"Of course," he lays enough money for their meals on the table and leads her out of the restaurant.

Twenty minutes later he pulls up in front of her apartment building. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Mac. Thanks for dinner. And for getting me out of there."

"It's what we do. You would have done the same for me," he smiles.

"_Stop and stare_

_I think I'm moving but I go nowhere_

_Yeah I know that everyone gets scared_

_But I've become what I can't be_

_Oh, do you see what I see"_

**A/N: Not my best story, especially since I don't think they're together at the end. I can't remember... I wrote this like two months ago. It's probably not edited either... I'm not sure I read it after I finished. Anyway... my next story is about the spoilers and Mac and Stella going to Greece. It's more what I hope happens in the last few episodes, probably not what will happen but... I hope you guys read it. I'll post the first chapter on Friday probably. And I hope to get it finished by the episode they go to Greece. Or the one before that... 'cause I'm kind of hoping they fight at the end of the one episode and then he finds out in the beginning of the next that she went to Greece and follows her. Anyway... I can't wait for tonight... I have to watch Bones and NY and Castle... and dancing, even though I know who got voted off. And I need to start some homework too... I'm so not looking forward to that part. Well, please review. Thanks for reading.**


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